Sole edge inking machine



/ P. H. DIXON soL'E EDGE INKING xaAqgINE May 19, 1942.

Filed March 8., 1940 3 Sheefts-Shee't 1 May 19, 1942. P. H. DlxoN SOLEl EDGE INKING MACHINE Filed March 8, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,May 19, 1942.

P. H. DIXON 1 Y soLE EDGE INKINGf MACHINE Filed March s, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 /NVE/vmq Pmi A. @MM

n M m Patented May 19, 1942 United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, Nr.1.,v a vcorporation-of New' Jersey Application March s, 1940, 'serial No. 322,996 f 27 claims. 01..

The present invention pertains to amachine for applying a coating to a shoe part and as embodied herein is adapted to apply a uniform coating of ink to the peripheral edge of a sole attached to a shoe.

The application of ink to the peripheral edge of shoe soles by means of a toothbrush or small piece of sponge is still employed to a greatrextent due to the fact that as yet no simple applying means has been developed that will impart a uniform coating of ink to the edge of the sole, with one passage of the work, fast enough to compete with the hand methods.

The object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a machine embodying means capable of rapidly applying a uniform coating of ink to the edge of an attached shoe sole without soiling the upper.

The peripheral edge of a sole generallyis not a plane surface but is provided with some predetermined edge design and, therefore, frequent-,- ly its surface includes one or more ribs or grooves extending lengthwise of the sole edge. It is evident, therefore, that the inking can be satisfactorily accomplished by making a, series of closely spaced marks on the edge of the sole, such as might be made by a drawing pen. That is, if the ink is applied by a plurality of ne marking surfaces or points, the ink will be applied not only to the ribs but also to the grooves which would be passed over by a broad surface or point. This is attained as a feature of the present invention by a plurality of closely spaced blades, the lower edges of which normally lie in a oommon plane, and to which ink is supplied in the spaces between the blades, the blades being independently movable with respect to each otherand freely displaceable from said common plane by the irregularities of the edge of the sole presented thereto.

The thickness of a shoe sole varies considerably with the type of shoe and, therefore, another feature of the invention resides in mea-ns for retracting certain of the blades andv holding them in a displaced position so that the blades notin contact with the edge will not overlap the surface of the sole.

While the quantity of ink carried by the blades is controlled to a large degree by a valve, which is opened only during the application of the sole to the blades, there is a. tendency for sufficient ink to accumulate in the retracted blades, since that ink is not being used, to overcome the capillary attraction between the blades and. permit a discharge of the ink even if the drawing out liz-'31) Y action of the work is not present. Another'feaf ture of the invention is found in means 'for withdrawing the excess ink from the .retracted blades and returning the ink tothe inkreservoir. The specific embodiment of the invention will now be describedwith reference to theacco'mpanying drawings, in which Fig'. 1 is a side elevation, partly` in section, showing the machine;

Fig. 2 is an'enlarged perspectiveview, partly in section, of the horn'on which the vink-applying device is supported; n

Fig. 3 is a sectionon the line III-III of Fig. 1; l i

Fig. l is an enlarged vertical section longitu dinally of the ink-'applying device; 1

Fig. V5 is an enlarged section taken on line Fig. 6 is an enlarged section of the applying blades showing their disposition when a beaded sole is pressed against them; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of the applying blades showing vwelt-bead. guards.

Referring to Fig. 1, the machine is shown as.`

into a hollow post 20 extending upwardly from the bottom of the base, lthe upper end of the post being split and clamped about the column by bolts 22. -In order to provide a more extensive bearing surface atthe bore I6, a collar 24 is screwed to the under side of the pedestal so that it is concentricwith the bore IB.

The column I8 extends vertically upward from the top of the pedestal andis reduced somewhat in diameter so asV toprovide a bearing shoulder 26 for thelower end of a hub 128 which is rotatably supported bythe column.

The hub terminates short of the top of the column and on the top there is fixed a cap 30 adapted to support an electric motor 36 arranged to drive a shaft 38 associated therewith. The cap also supports a control switch 40 for the motor and a conventional lamp and shade 34 above the inking horn I4. 1

In practice, the most common edge stains are black or brown, and in' order vto permit ready Vchange from one color to antither', this machine y'is' provided with two ink receptacles. either one of which may be quickly moved into position for immediate use. The ink receptacles I2 are identical in construction and are supported on a platform I3 extending radially from the hub at its lower end. In order to hold the receptacles in place thumb-screws 2| are provided which are threaded through lugs 23v extending radially from the hub, the lower end of the screws bearing against horizontal surfaces |9 provided on the receptacles whereby the receptacles are forced against the platform I3. Each receptacle has a bottom 44 below which there is housed a gear pump 46 which is .driven by a shaft-48. which extends upwardly through the top of the receptacle, the pump beingprovided for pumping ink in the receptacle to the horn I4 through passages which will be described hereinafter. By turning the hub 28 on the column, and consequently the receptacles, either of the shafts 48 .may be connected to the driven shaft 38 by a ,coupling 8., v v Y The coupling' consists of a` collar 4| xed to the shaft 38,` by means'of a set screw, the lower side'pf. the collar ,being provided with teeth 43 arranged to occupy the Vopen end ,of a diametrical slot 45 formed inthe upper en d of a sleeve 41 .which is mounted for longitudinal movement 'on the shaft 48 and is held in engagement with the teeth 43 by a spring 49 backed up by a collar 5| fixed to the shaft 48. Y A pin 53 mounted on Athe shaft 48 occupies the lower end ofthe slot 45, thereby preventing rotation of the sleeve 41 on the shaft so that the slot'45 and teeth 43 will 'nalwaysbein alinement. By pressing the sleeve 41 down, theI teeth 43 may be released from the slot 45 to disconnect one of the shafts 48 whereupon the hub 28 may be turned on the column so as to bring the other shaft 48 into alinementwith the shaft 38. When either one of the shafts 48`is in alinement with the shaft 38, the hub is locked in position by a latch 52 which is pivoted at 54 between a pair of Aears 51 formed cylindrical passage 10. The exposed part of the passage is squared out, as shown at 12 in Fig. 5. Near the end of the horn the passage 68 is enlarged somewhat to form a basin 1| and the partition 69 which separates the passages 68 and is cut away so that they are connected, leaving ledges 13, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5. A relatively narrow slot 14 is formed in the bottom wall of the basin, said opening extending to the outer end of the horn. An arm 16 of rectangular cross-section is disposed axially in the passage 16, the outer'end of the arm being .on the base l0. The upper end of the latch is 'arranged to drop into one of two diametrically disposed slots 56 formed in the edge of the Yplatform I3, the latch being. held' in the slot by a spring' 58. The top .of each receptacle is provided with a cover'60. y

The outer wall of each receptacle is provided with a circular opening 66, and a flat casting 62,.theupper end of which is bored at 64, is bolted to the wall vwith the bore 641 in alinement with` the opening 66 formed in the wall. The alinedopening 66 and vbore 64 in effect forma socket adapted to receive the butt end of the hornY I4. vThe casting is provided lwith supply and return passages and 61,.the passage 65 terminating at its upper end in the side of the bore 64, andthe passage 61 terminating in the bottomlofthe` bore. 64. The lower end of the .passages165 and 61 are connected with passages '68"being connected to the return passagev 61 by Aan aperture 68 formedr in the bottom wall of the passage 68, andlthe upper passage 10 being connected to the supply passage 65. by an aperture .10' formed in the sidewall of the passage 10.

The .upper wall of the horn. (Fig. 2) is cutaway from apoint approximately half, way between its ends to its outer end so` as to Aexposev the against the upper edges of the blades.

enlarged and provided with a socket portion 18 having a socket 11. The lower portions of the ,rear wall and the side walls 8| of the socket are adapted to rest upon the edge of the partition 69 Vand the ledges 13. The socket portion 18 is of approximately the same dimension as the squared-out section 12 (Fig. 5) of the passage 18 and is guided for vertival movement with respect thereto. A portion lof the lower edges of the side walls 8| are beveled at 19 so as to provide'ink ypockets 83 along each side of the 'member 18 which are cut off at their inner ends from the passage 16 by the rear wall 86. Norjmally they socket portion- 18 isheld in its lowermost position, -as will hereinafter be described, so that the rear wall 88 and side walls 8| thereof act as a valve* or partition which cuts oif com- 'rnunication between the passage 1|) and the basin`1l."

'The inner parallel walls 82 of the side walls 8| of the socket 11 are provided with a plurality of closely spaced grooves '84' for the reception of a Vplurality of thin blades 86 in the spaces between which the ink'flows down. for application to the work. lThe blades are free to slide vertically in the grooves and are retained therein by T-shaped yheads ,88 which rest on the top of the'socket 11. The lower ends of the blades extend into the basin 1| (Figs. 2 and 5) where they are reduced inbreadth at 90 VThe reduced extensions'project from the slot 14 in the bottom wall of the basin and the ends thereof are slightly convex. VAs illustrated in Fig. 4, the blades are sloped downwardly to the front, and while this is" not essential Vto the operation of the machine, it makes it easier for the operator to hold the work against the blades. The outer end of the horn is covered by a combined guard and gage 92,` which will be described hereinafter, thereby providing an end wall for the basin 1| the gage 92 being secured to the end of the socket portion 18 by means of screws 94.

The blades 86 are yieldably held with their ends ina common plane by a resilient strip having a narrow ridge 96 thereon adapted to bear The strip is held in place above the blades by a cap 98 which is provided with a recess |00 inv its under side to receive the strip. One wall of the cap extends rearwardly thereof and provides an anchor plate |02 (Fig. 4) by which the cap may be secured to the arm 16. A pair of screws |04 are provided for securing the anchor plate to the arm.

Frequently it is not necessary or desirable to use all of the blades, for example, when the edge of the sole is not thick enough to extend across the ends of all of the blades, and, therefore, means are provided for rendering part of the blades inoperative. To this end one side of the cap isr cut away to expose the T-shaped heads of the blades. In the space provided by the cutaway wall there is arranged a narrow bar |86,

the outer end o! which is offset and turned op at L65 to afford o .anser bold (Eis.- 4), I'he ner .end o lthe loer .f0.6 .slides in a slot H0 ont on the onder side ot the anchor plate |02. it is desirable to retract a portion of the blades. they are pushed up by pressing on their lower ends until the T-shaped heads are raised liar enough above the top surface of the socket 'I8 to permit the bar |06 to be pulled forward beneath the heads so as to hold the blades in raised position. t

Since the admission of the ink from the pas,- sage 'Ill to the basin H is controlled by the gate valve SUTSI, the arm I6 is arranged so that it may be raised and lowered.V To this end, a headed screw H2 is threaded into a bore H3 formed lin the inner end of the arm 1.6, and a thumb-piene H4 is mounted thereon. the thumboieoe .having a substantially Semoironlar flange H6 on its under side which conforms to the bottom half of the. passage T and rests. behind a semicircular abutment H8 which projects u pwardly from the bottoni of the passage 10, the flange H6 acting as a fulcrum on which the arm maybe tilted and also serving to retain the arm within the horn.

The thumb-piece H4 is recessed at |20 so as slidably to receive the head of the screw H2, and a spring is mounted between the bottom of the recess and the under side of the head of the screw. A sleeve |22 is threaded into an enlarged portion of the bore I |3, the sleeve being disposed axially on the screw H2 behind the thumb-piece H4. This sleeve is provided with a head |24 by which it may be turned whereby the axial position of the thumb-piece nitty be changed to vary the resistance of the spring |2|. To compensate tor the axial movement of the thunibfpiece along the screw 2, the screw H2 must be adjusted axially in the arm. By simply pulling back on the thumb-piece ||4 and lifting it above the abutment H8, the arm, including the head, may readily be dismounted from the horn.

The flange H6 acts not only as a ,fulcrum but forms an adjustable end wall for the passage 'I0 whereby the level of the ink in said passage may be governed, that is, the flange is semicircular,` and occupies the lower half of the passage T0. zontal, vthe ink will rise to the depth of the radius of the flange. By twisting the thumb-piece H4, however, the flange may be tilted so that its edge lies at an angle with the horizontal. This, of course, lowers the wall at one side, thereby permitting part of the ink to run back into the reservoir. The provision of this overflow wall maintains the level of the ink in the passage substantially constant, at a selected depth, at all times, In order to insure positive closing oi the gate valve SI1-8| when the pressure of the shoe against the edges of the blades 'is withdrawn, the arm 'I6 is held down by a spring-pressed plunger |25 slidably mounted in a sleeve |26 screwed through a bracket |28 which is fixed to the top side of the horn |4 by a thumb-screw |30. A screw |32 is threaded into the upper end of the sleeve and bears against. one end of a spring |33 the other end of which bears against the plunger |25. By turning the screw |32, the pres- When the upper edge of the flange is hori-V When therefore. the lower end of the sleeve .|26 is arranged to limit the upward movement of vthe arno 75, thereby governing the amount the gate Vall/o ,310.-BI may be opened..

the edge of the sole S is presented to the blades, it is desirable to have some means for guiding the work as it is turned against the blades and also some means for preventing the ink from getting onto the upper. To this end, the edge gage 92 is arranged so that its lower edge projects below the plane of the edges of the blades and will ride in the crease between the. sole S and the upperU, as illustrated in Fis- 6- guide to insure accurate registration of` the edge of the sole with the blades' and at the same time prevents the ink `from getting on the upper. The inner surface of the member 92, however, is furnished with suilcient ink from the space between it and the adjacent blade to insure inking the upper surface of the sole adjacent to the upper. In certain kinds of shoes a bead welt or storm welt is employed, as shown in Fig. '7. When a single guide 92 is employed, there is some tendency for the guide to slip off the bead into the outer groove between the welt bead and the upper. This, of course, permits the ink to run down onto Vthe bead and soil it. To prevent this, a second guide |34 is provided (Fig. 7). The guide |34 is supported on the shank of'a screw |36 which projects from the guide .92 and is provided with a fulcrum |38 about which it may be tilted. A screw |49 is threaded through the upper end of the gage and is arranged to bear against the gage 92 so that adjustment of the screw |43 will change'the angular position of thegage |34 about its fulorum point. Bythis arrangement the lower edge ofthe gage |34 may be adjusted A to and from the gage 92 in accordance with the dimensions of the welt W.

The ink is pumped through the passage 65 by means of the gear pump 46'and fills the passage sure on the plunger may be varied, thereby permittlng adjustment of the pressure exerted on the arm 'I5 by the plunger. absorbed by -the edges of soles varies considerably with the character and quality of the leather and,

The amount of ink I6 to a depth determined by the position vof the ange H6. When'the edge of the sole is pressed K against the bottom edges of the blades 86, the arm 'I6 having the socket portion I8 is lifted rst against the spring-pressed plunger |25 so as to open the gate valve Bil-8|. This permits the ink to ll the pockets 83 and to low into the basin 7| from these pockets along each side of the blades, and consequently, to fill the spaces -between the blades. The gear pump inlet is connected to the return passage 61 so that when the pump is running, a slight suction is provided in this passage and also the passage 68, the inner end of which is closed by the abutment I8. l The suction maintained is sufcient to draw the excess ink in the basin into the return passage. At certain times, as heretofore indicated, some of thev blades are withdrawn from active use and there is a tendency for the ink in such blades toaccumulate since it is not used up. In the present case, however, the aforementioned suction is'sucient to draw any excess of ink which accumulates on the unused blades into the return passage. It is t0 be observed in Fig. 4 that the passage 68 slopes toward the receptacle I2 so that, even though no suction were maintained in the passage, the excess ink would tend to lrun backto the receptacle by. gravity. The suction, while not indispensable, does facilitate the return of thev .i-nlgl particularly when it is sluggish because of its high viscosity or beca-use of the presence of considerable coloring matter.

After the valve 807m is open, further pressure In this way the member 92 acts as a ol? the shoe sole against the blades will cause them to yield somewhat, that is, the upper ends will be pressed into the rubber strip 95, some of the blades yielding more than others according to the prole of the edge of the sole (Fig. 6). When the edge of the soleS to which the ink is to be applied is not thick enough to extend across all of the blades, as previously indicated, some of the blades may be retracted, as shown in Fig. '7, by drawing the bar (06 beneath the shoulders 88 of the blades.

When the preliminary adjustments have been made, the operator holds a shoe with the edge of its sole against the blades, obtaining the proper registration by positioning the gage 92 in the crease between the upper and sole, and then lifts the shoe up so as to open the valve Btl-8|. Holding the shoe firmly in this position, he then proceeds to move it lengthwise so as to make a complete turn, thereby applying a uniform coating of ink to the edge of the sole.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, a plurality ofA closely spaced blades, said blades having lower edges which normally lie in a common plane, and means for supplying ink to the spaces between the blades, each blade being independently mounted and freely displaceable from said common plane by the irregularities of the edge of the sole presented thereto.

2. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, a plurality of parallel blades arranged to supplying ink to the capillary spaces between the blades, each blade being independently mounted and free to be displaced from said common plane by any irregularity in the edge of a sole presented thereto.

3. In a machine for applying ink to the edge of a sole, a plurality of closely spaced blades, and means for supplying ink to the spaces between said blades, each of said blades having a marking surface comparable in thickness t a pen point, said blades being yieldable independently to accommodate themselves to the irregularities of the edge of the sole. y

4. In a machine for applying ink to the edge of a sole, a plurality of spaced blades, and means for supplying ink to the spaces between said blades, each of said blades having a marking surface comparable in thickness to a pen point and being yieldable independently to accommodate itself to the irregularities of the edge of the sole, said spaces between the blades being commensurate with the thickness of the blades. v

5. In a machine for applying ink to the edge of a sole which includes one or more ridges or grooves, a plurality of spaced parallel blades and means for supplying ink to the spaces between said blades, each of said blades having marking surfaces substantially less in thickness than the width of a ridge or groove, said blades being yieldable independently of each other so as to conform to the edge of the sole. l

6. In a machine for inking the peripheral edge of an outsole, a plurality of means for applying ink to the edge of the sole, means including a passage for supplying ink to said applying means, and means for supporting the applying means, a portion of said supporting means being constructed and arranged to close the passage to separate the ink supplying means from the applying means, said supporting means being movable by the application of pressure to any one of said applying means to open said passage to permit the ink to W from the supplying means to said applying means.

7. In a machine for inking the edge of an attached or unattached outsole, a plurality of means for applying ink to said edge, a passage for supplying ink to said applying means, means operable by the movement imparted to said applying means when the work is presented the-reto to open said passage from said supplying means to said applying means, and means to render one or more of the applying means inoperative.

8. In a machinefor inking the edge of an attached or unattached outsole, a plurality of parallel blades having edges lying in a common plane, means for supplying ink to said blades, means operable upon presentment of the work against the edges of the blades to connect said ink supply with the parallel blades, and a member co-operable with said blades to hold one or more of the same inoperative with respect to the remaining blades.

9. In a machine for inking the edge of an attached or unattached outsole, a plurality of parallel blades, each blade having a shoulder at one end and an edge at the other end, said edges lying in a common plane, means for supplying ink to said blades, means operable upon presentment of the work against the edges of the blades to connect said ink supply with the parallel blades, and a member movable into engagement with said shoulders to hold one or more of said blades in a retracted position.

10. In a machine for inking the edge and adjacent margin of the sole of a shoe having a storm welt, means for applying ink to the edge of the sole, means for supplying ink to said applying means and means to prevent the application of ink to the welt comprising a gage arranged to extend into the creasebetween the sole and welt, another gage arranged to occupy the crease between the welt and upper, means on said second-named gage for tiltably supporting said second-named gageon the first-named gage, and means for tilting said second-named gage about said supporting means whereby the secondnamed gage may be'spaced from the rst-named gage to accommodate any thickness of storm welt.

11. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, a plurality of spaced blades for applying ink to the edge of the sole, means for supplying ink to the spaces between said blades, said blades having lower ends arranged to lie in a common plane and being yieldably held in said common plane by a resilient member engaging their upper ends.

12. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, means for applying ink to the edge of the sole, a source of ink,`a valve between said ink applying means and said source, said valve being movable upon the presentation of the edge of the sole to the applying means to open the valve, means for resisting the opening of the valve, means for varying the resistance of said resisting means, and means limiting the opening of the valve beyond a predetermined amount, said limiting means being adjustable to vary the limit to which the valve may be opened.

13. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, a plurality of blades for applying ink to aesaio me edgeof the soie, @basin having ari opening in its bottom, an arm fulcrumed at-one endand' supporting the blades at its other endl with their lower ends extending into said basin and'xthrough the opening therein, a passage for supplying ink to the basin, and a valve between the supply pase sage and the basin, said valve forming aj part of the arm, the application ofY pressure to the lower ends of the bladesopera'ting to open the valve to permit ink to ow from the supply passage to the basin. l A' 14. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, a plurality of blades for applying ink to the edge of the sole, a primary reservoir, a passage for carrying ink from the primary reservoir to the blades, a valve in said passage, the application of pressure to the blades operating to open said valve, and a return passage for returning excess ink from the blades back to the primary reservoir,

15. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, a plurality of blades for applying ink to the edge oi the sole, a primary reservoir, a passage extending from said reservoir to a point adjacent to the blades for delivering ink to said blades, a passage extending from a point adjacent to the blades to the reservoir for returning excess and means for pumping the ink through said delivery passage and for maintaining a vacuum in the return passage.

16. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, a plurality of inking devices, each inking device being adapted to apply ink to the edge of the sole, a reservoir for each inking device, passages for conducting the ink from the reservoirs to the inking devices, a pump associated with each reservoir for pumping the ink, and common means for operating either of the pumps, said reservoirs being so constructed and arranged that only one of the reservoirs and its pump may be positioned to be connected to said common operating means at a given time.

17. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, a column, a plurality of reservoirs rotatably supported on said column, an ink-applying device carried by each reservoir, a pump associated with each reservoir for supplying ink to the applying device mounted thereon, common means for operating the pumps, said reservoirs being constructed and arranged so that they may be turned on said column to bring any one of them to a position to be connected to said common operating means, means for locking the selected reservoir in position, and means for connecting the common operating means to the pump- 18. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, an ink reservoir, a horn fixed thereto, an ink-applying device, means for supporting the ink-applying device at the free end of said horn, a passage in said horn for conducting ink from the reservoir to the ink-applying device, and means associated with said rst-named means to cut off said passage from said ink-applying device.

19. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, an ink reservoir, a horn xed thereto, an ink-applying device supported at the end of the horn, passages in said horn for supplying ink from the reservoir to the ink-applying device and for returning the excess ink from the ink-applying device back to the reservoir, and a valve for controlling the flow of ink through the supply passage.

ink from the blades to the reservoir,

20.,Ina machine ,for inking thepedge of an outsole, an"V reservoir, a horn xed theretoi, an ink-applying device* supported atA the end oi the horn, apassage in said horn for supplyingv ink fromthe reservoir to the p inkeapplying device, a valve for" controlling the flow oi ink through said passage, a second passage in said horn for" returning excess ink from the inks-applying device to the reservoir, andmeans for maintaining a vacuum s'aidreturn passage)` f 21. In 'a machine for inking the edge o'f an outsole, an ink reservoir, a horn having a passage therein xed to said reservoir, an ink-applying device, an arm mounted in said passage for supporting the ink-applying device at the free end of the horn, and means for retaining the arm in the passage, said means constituting a closure for the inner end of the passage and being adjustable to govern the depth of the ink in the passage.

22. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, an ink reservoir, a horn having a passage therein xed to said reservoir, an ink-applying device, an arm mounted in said passage for supporting the ink-applying device at the free end of the horn, a portion of said arm constituting a valve in said passage, and means for retaining the arm in the passage, said means constituting a fulcrum at the inner end of the arm about which the arm may be tilted to open the valve.

23. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, an ink reservoir, a horn having a passage therein xed tothe reservoir, an ink-applying device, an arm mounted in said passage for supporting the ink-applyingdevice at the'free end of the horn, a thumb-piece rotatably secured to the end of the arm, a ange formed on said thumb-piece shaped to conform to the bottom half of the passage, and an abutment projecting upwardlyT from the bottom of the passage behind which the flange is seated for retaining the arm in the passage. o

24. In a machinefor inking the edge of an outsole, an ink reservoir, a horn having a passage therein fixed to said reservoir, an ink-applying device, an arm mounted in said passage for supporting the ink-applying device at the free end y of the horn, a portion of said arm constituting a valve in the passage, a thumb-piece rotatably and yieldably secured to the end of the arm, a flange formed on said thumb-piece shaped to. conform to the bottom half of the passage, and an abutment projecting upwardly from the bottom of the passage behind which the fiange is seated for retaining the arm in the passage, said flange providing a fulorum about which the arm may be tilted to open the valve.

25. In a machine for inking the edge of anl outsole, an ink reservoir, a horn having a passage therein fixed to said reservoir, an ink-applying device, an arm mounted in said passage for supporting the ink-applying device at the free end of the horn, a thumb-piece rotatably secured to the end of the arm, a substantially semicircular ange formed on said thumb-piece adapted to nt the bottom half of the passage and to close the same, and an abutment projecting upwardly from the bottom of the passage behind which the flange is seated for retaining the arm in the passage, the diametrical edge of the ange being tiltable by rotation oi the thumb-piece to lower one side thereof.

26. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, an ink reservoir, a horn xed to said reservoir, a plurality of ink-applying blades, Van

arm associated with said horn having a socket member at its end for supporting said blades at the end of the horn, a basin atv the end of the horn having an opening in its bottom through which the lower ends of the blades project, a passage in the horn, pockets extending along opposite sides of the basin closed at their inner endsfromthe passage and arranged to receive ink from said passage, the lower edge of the vsocket member :forming a closure between the passage and the basin which may be opened by the application of pressure to the ends of the blades.

.27. In a machine for inking the edge of an outsole, an ink reservoir, a horn fixed to said reservoir, a plurality of ink-applying blades, an arm associated with said horn having a socket at its end, grooves in said socket for slidably receiving said blades for independent relative movement, said blades having shoulders at their upper ends arranged to rest against the top of the socket and lower ends arranged to project below the bottom of the socket, and a passage in said horn for supplying ink to said blades intermediate their ends.

PAUL H. DIXON. 

